Eric
Top 1000
About Eric
Eric is derived from the Old Norse name Eiríkr, from the components ei, meaning "ever," and ríkr, "rule." It was adopted by English speakers in the mid-nineteenth century, who were already familiar with the exploits of the tenth century Viking navigator and discoverer of Greenland, Eric the Red. Erik is an alternate spelling and the preferred form of the name across much of Europe.
Eric—the all-time most popular Scandinavian boys’ name in the U. S.—peaked in the 70s, during the Ricky Nelson/Rick Springfield period and from the mid-sixties to the late eighties, it was on the Top 25 list.
Recent years have seen it decline, as alternative 'rick' names like Maverick have climbed. Nevertheless, it remains in The US Top 300, with spelling variations Erick and Erik also in the Top 500 too. When you add all these Erics together, it begins to feel like a name just outside the Top 100, similar in popularity to August, Nicholas, Myles or Dominic.
Some of its best-known bearers include: Eric Clapton, Eric Idle, Eric Dane and major characters in The Little Mermaid, True Blood and Friday Night Lights, not to mention Eric Cartman on South Park. Simon Cowell named his first son Eric after his father.
The Old-World traditional spelling Erik is currently popular in Germany, Sweden, Hungary, Iceland and Norway - and is also favored in the UK, where Eric is out of style.
Pronounced AIR-ik.
As of October 2026, Eric ranked #273 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #13 in 1975, Nameberry popularity #126.
Editor's take: The name Eric is a boy's name of Scandinavian, Norse origin meaning "eternal ruler".
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #123 | 3,321 | 1,728.9 |
| 2015 | #138 | 3,045 | 1,588.6 |
| 2016 | #142 | 2,928 | 1,542.9 |
| 2017 | #143 | 2,782 | 1,503 |
| 2018 | #160 | 2,408 | 1,325.9 |
| 2019 | #176 | 2,204 | 1,228.4 |
| 2020 | #198 | 1,917 | 1,110.6 |
| 2021 | #213 | 1,789 | 1,022.6 |
| 2022 | #229 | 1,560 | 893.5 |
| 2023 | #227 | 1,544 | 902.6 |
| 2024 | #251 | 1,402 | 813.7 |
| 2025 | #273 | 1,256 | 735.3 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Eric.
- Christian
- Jeremiah
- Jonathan
- Jeremy
- Anthony
- Jason
- Nicolas
- Mark
- Christopher
- Stephen
- Aaron
- Alan
- Michael
- Marcus
- Kevin
- Joshua
- Adam
- Carlos
- Timothy
- Derek
Eric on lists
Famous Erics
- Eric Victor Burdon
English singer
- Eric Patrick Clapton
English musician
- Eric Hilliard "Ricky" Nelson
American singer and actor
- Eric William Dane
American actor
- Eric West
American actor
- Eric Benet (Jordan)
American singer
- Eric Thomas Decker
American NFL football player
- (Kenneth) Eric Church
American country singer
- Eric Scott Melvin
American musician
- Eric Marlon Bishop
birth name of American actor Jamie Foxx
- Eric Christian Olsen
American actor
- Eric Burnell Zentner
American model
- Eric Saade
Swedish Singer
- Eric Thomas Andolsek
American former NFL player
- Eric Lloyd
American actor, comedian and musician
- Eric Koston
pro skateboarder
- Eric Anthony Roberts
American actor
- Eric Millegan
American actor
- Eric Kyle Szmanda
American actor
- Eric Henry Liddell
Scottish athlete
- Eric Hobsbawm
English historian
- Eric Stoltz
American actor, director and producer
- Eric Hosmer
American baseball player
- Eric Kripke
American television writer, director and producer
- Eric Roberts
American actor
- Eric Meyers
voice actor
- Eric Idle
British comedian and actor
- Eric Stough
American animation director, producer and voice actor
- Eric Cowell (b. 2014)
son of English TV and music producer Simon Cowell
- Eric Richard
English actor ('The Bill', British television series)
- Eric Faulkner
Scottish musician
- Eric Trump
son of President Donald Trump
Eric in pop culture
- Eric Northman
character on TV's "True Blood"
- Eric Finch
character in "V for Vendetta"
- Eric Jackson
character in "The 100"
- Eric
prince in Disney's "The Little Mermaid"
- Eric Forman
character on TV's "That '70s Show"
- Eric Foreman
character on TV's "House"
- Eric Matthews
character on TV's "Boy Meets World"
- Erik Night
character on TV's "House of Night"
- Eric Van Der Woodsen
Serena's brother on TV's "Gossip Girl"
- Eric Delko
character on TV's "CSI: Miami"
- Eric Taylor
a main character on TV's "Friday Night Lights"
- Eric Cartman
character on animated series "South Park"
- Eric Brooks aka Blade
character in Marvel comics/films
- Eric "Cat" Chant
main character in "Charmed Life"
- Eric Weiss
character on TV's "Alias"
- Eric Bartholomew Beale III
character on TV's "NCIS: Los Angeles"
- Eric Shellhorn
character in Jenny Nimmo's "The Children of the Red King" series
- Eric Richard "Bitty" Bittle
character in webcomic "Check, Please!"
- Eric Birling
character in An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley
- Eric
character in Aphmau's YouTube series
- Prince Eric
character in animated movie "Barbie in the Nutcracker"
- Eric
character in animated movie "Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus"
- Eric Lassard
character in the "Police Academy" Film series